


Make A Little Effort

by Lisbon (curseofbunny)



Series: Owari Magica [120]
Category: Owari Magica
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:40:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25121026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/curseofbunny/pseuds/Lisbon
Summary: Aeron: 1028 words at 515 +500 = 1015ptsPercy: 874 words at 440 +400 +50 = 890ptsThe Truth mission gets Aeron8exp-5% purificaion
Series: Owari Magica [120]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1815574





	Make A Little Effort

**Author's Note:**

> Aeron: 1028 words at 515 +500 = 1015pts  
> Percy: 874 words at 440 +400 +50 = 890pts
> 
> The Truth mission gets Aeron  
> 8exp  
> -5% purificaion

Aeron got home with Nellie perhaps 30 minutes after the fight with Buck ended. They hand her to Daisy to be checked over, while they breeze out to the backyard and into the Richards' backyard. And then over to where light is coming from on the opposite side of the house. When they spot Percy, they whistle, and wait for him to look over to them so they can pull him away from his dad for a bit. They don't want to talk about magi in front of adults, thanks.

It was Duncan who noticed Aeron first. He blinked in surprise, then raised a hand to him. "Hey kiddo!" He laughed. "Look, Perce, it's Geraldson's kid. You know, I always wanted to introduce you two but your mother... She wasn't interested in that. I'm glad you two're friends now, huh."

Percy didn't know what his dad was talking about until he actually saw Aeron. He rolls his eyes and pokes at his father's leg with his foot. "Go inside? We'll join you later? I don't think they wanna deal with old guys." He leans forwards.

They wave half-heartedly at Duncan, and nods a little as Percy pushes the man towards the inside. They... they'll apologize later. He doesn't deserve them being rude, Mister Richards is actually a pretty okay guy. They shuffle forward, but don't reach Percy just yet.

Percy watches as his dad closes the door, then breathes out a sigh of relief. "Hey buddy, how'd the battle go? I'm a little..." He wobbles a hand. "Out of it. But not super out of it, I just didn't wanna go to a battle if I wasn't 100%."

"I probably ruined my friendship with Belladona again. But I actually have a question for you." Aeron stops just short of getting into Percy's space, using their extra height and the platforms on their sneakers to loom over him just a little, arms crossed.  
"How long were you gonna keep the thing about Witches from me?"

Percy didn't think this would be how his night went. He patted the arm of the other chair. "Wanna sit down? I never meant to keep it from you. It wasn't on purpose. At first I wasn't sure how much you knew, and then what Von and Salem kept saying was rattling around in my brain, and then things got too busy and I got overwhelmed. Some magi despair if they find out too quickly- like, like if their wish was frivolous. It's what made Ana's mental health get so shitty so fast. And... I didn't wanna lose you."

Aeron bit their lip, and nodded. Okay. Okay, so he wasn't trying to hide it. That's... that's a little better. Aeron sits down with a sigh, and pulls their gem out to glare at the egg.  
"I don't know how you'd assume I know. I don't... I'm not good at hiding things. I... I accidentally share almost every secret I'm told." They don't acknowledge the aside about Mariana. They didn't know her, what were they supposed to say to that?

"It... the witch today. It was..."

Percy sat forwards a bit. This didn't feel like it would end well. "Did one of the other magi go down? Should... should I have been there?" His voice was softer this time. He was worried. He pulled his own gem out to set on Aeron's side of the garden table, the little green egg glittering in the moonlight.

"Maybe. Maybe if you had been there Belladona wouldn't have stabbed me." Aeron glares at their gem, upset and... trying not to cry just yet.

Percy's on the other side of the table and hugging them before he's tracked the movement. "She what??"

"She... I recognize, that I'm... partially at fault. But I couldn't. I couldn't trust her to let me handle Buck my way. I couldn't." Their breath shudders as they try to keep their head. They can't break down yet.

Percy nodded slowly. "It... it was Buck?"

"Yeah. Buck. He... he recognized me." Aeron ran a hand down their face.  
"I'm not... I wouldn't have tried to let him live, but... I was his best friend. I was in love with him, for years. I... I deserved the right to handle him on my terms." They carefully curl an arm around Percy's back, and try to keep talking.  
"I didn't trust her to let me."

Percy nodded. "She shouldn't have done that. It's your right to end things on your terms. I... I should have been there."

"I... I'd apologize to her, but I don't really know how to say it correctly. I just..." They wipe their eyes and gently shove Percy off of them, and scoops up Percy's gem to compare it to their own.  
"I just wanted to have... control. I didn't have any with Fawn or. Or anything else I've done, save being mad at Belladona and that pipsqueak. I've been following other people's leads and wants this entire time and I just. I wanted this to be mine. He was my friend. I deserved that."

"Did... you get to, in the end? He was yours. You earned that." Percy sat back on his heels, holding the table.

"I... think so. I asked Ophelia to help, and... she might have landed the killing blow. I... I wasn't really focusing on much by that point." They run a hand down their face again, and glance towards the backyard, thinking about their little sister.  
"He had hostages, my little sister, and Ophelia's mom. And, he grabbed me at the beginning of the fight. Scooped me up and made me ride him around his labyrinth until I managed to get off and bind him for a bit."

Percy nodded. "And your sister's home safe? Ophelia and her mom are safe?" He could only go slow and steady with this information.

"Yes. I agreed to talk to Ophelia once... I got Nellie home. I wanted a bit of time to... process. I needed to... talk to you first." They let out another breath.  
"I... I'm. Don't be too hard on Belladona, I know it wasn't... I know I fucked up. Putting her to sleep wasn't... wasn't right, but I couldn't think of what else to do, and I couldn't... I couldn't trust her. She'd been yelling at me about 'not letting my feelings get in the way' and 'accepting that he's already dead' and... I knew that. I understood that. I'm not that stupid. I just. He was mine. I deserved to handle him. He was... he was mine."

Percy nodded. "And... wait- wait you did what? Put her to what? In the middle of a battle?"

"...I thought I had Buck under control, and the familiars were all somewhere else and focusing on Chance, the two new kids, and Ophelia. I... I couldn't think. I was... I was panicking."

Percy put his face in his hands. He took a deep breath. "I don't condone that. I get it, but I don't condone it. You didn't have any other choice, but I don't have to say that it was okay. Or right. I am dating Bebe, and even if I'm not on her side, I can say that that's not okay."

"I know. I... I want to apologize, kind of, but. I don't really... know how to apologize for what I'm actually... sorry for?" They put their gem in the same hand they're holding Percy's in, as they gesture with the now free one.  
"I'm sorry for doing that, and for any injuries she got for it. I'm. I'm sorry for being mad at her for so long. But I'm. Not actually sorry for... not trusting her? I'm not going to pretend she's given me any reasons to."

"No, she didn't. Her and Sierra were rude to your girlfriend, and then... well, I was there the other night. I saw what happened then." He nodded slowly. "I'm not going to pretend that this isn't a rocky place to be in, to choose between. You or her. Friend or Girlfriend. I've known for a long time that I don't agree with everything she does." He blew out a breath. "But, let's figure out why you're sorry. What's the missing piece. What... you actually feel guilty about."

Aeron bit their lip.  
"I wanted to be her friend, to begin with. But... but she picked Sierra over me, when Sierra made Fawn cry, so... I got mad. And we ran into each other and... had almost a nice conversation, after Vondila died. Because... because I couldn't think past how much I was blaming myself for it, and she found me at the beach. And now... now I'm not dating Fawn and I don't know what else that means, and. And I wanted to... to believe I could actually... actually work past my issue with Belladona and finally. Finally make another friend. But she... she wouldn't let me do things my way. She kept pushing and pushing and pushing and I couldn't think and now I've ruined that all over again."

"You blame yourself for Von? That's not your fault, it couldn't have been your fault. She went down against Nessa's witch because... because of their history, not because of you. Not at all. And... you didn't ruin things, we just need to work on them. Figure out where the pieces fit and where they don't. And then the whole group can heal, and then we can work on being a team. Friends. Whatever it is that we need."

"I aimed an attack at that wi- Nessa? That thing was Vanessa Verlac?" Aeron frowned, and then shook their head, refocusing.  
"I. I aimed an attack at the witch, but it missed and hit Vondila in the back. Ophelia saw, and panicked, and ran off. And I. That is, my fault? She was dying before the witch hit her that last time." They shrug.

Percy winced. "Okay, so that didn't help matters. But that didn't kill her. Just like I didn't kill Ana and I didn't kill Nessa, even though I'd been fighting with her. Even though I took her job. Even though... okay, maybe it's a little bit my fault that she's dead. So I ate her grief seed, it's fucking even. She can't hurt anyone, ever again." He shook his head. "Are you and Ophelia good? Also, didn't you hear Flow?"

"...those sound a little like you're protesting a bit much, but whatever. And yeah, Ophelia and I have talked and... gotten on the same page, she let me stay over and take a nap at her place when I ran into her after Fawn got kidnapped and I... had to leave. I think she's still worried about all of that, which I mean... fair. I was... not dong well. Not sure if I'm doing well now. My hearing is still working, though, like, it hasn't gone out in a day or so?"

Percy nodded. "Did you sleep more? Did you... actually get some rest?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I've slept and I've eaten food and I've gotten a shower. I'm as good as I'm going to be, for a while, I think. I won't just... wander like that, I... I can't let Nellie get taken again. Making her think it's safe to go out alone for days on end... no. She's five, I. I need to actually be a proper older sibling."

Percy shook his head, internally wondering who the kid was, but not going to disagree. "I understand. She does need a role model, and you can do that for her. Be there for her. Right?"

"Right." They nod, and take a breath.  
"Have you met her? My parents dropped her off in April."

"I don't think so." Percy shook his head. "I think I was a little busy."

"Ah. Well... my parents dropped off my baby sister in April. Never met her before then, think she blames me for it. I'm... realizing I'm going to have to actually make an effort to be a better big... brother? Sibling? I... I don't know."

"I think the best you can do is just be there for her, as long as you can. I mean... I don't know what I'd do if my parents had another kid."

"...I didn't know, either. It doesn't feel entirely real." Aeron sighs.  
"Maybe it'd have felt more real if I'd been around for her... showing up originally? Or heard about her when Dad visited sometimes? But... nope."

Percy nodded. "That... would have helped. But you saved her today. Despite everything, she's okay."

Aeron nodded back.  
"So... what's new with you? What were you doing?"

Percy glanced back at the table, the bag and the pitcher of lemonade that was halfway empty and the bong. "Ah... smoking weed with my dad. Want some? You don't have to say yes."

"I don't think I want to mix whatever emotions I'm having with a high. Never been high before, would rather enjoy the experience."

Percy nodded. "Well, when you're feeling it, we can get high together. Or we never have to, it's up to you. I'm not pushing. It's just- that's what I was doing." He blew out a laugh and pushed his hair out of his face. "I'm... existing. That's all I can get around to tonight."


End file.
